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It’s not surprising how the world has fully relied on Internet use. In the United States alone, three in ten or 31% of adults are online almost constantly as per Pew Research Center’s survey. The online world offers many opportunities for learning and entertainment. But one study shows that 79% of Internet users go online to find information about goods and services.
How is this relevant to you as an attorney or law firm owner? This information shows that you need to keep up with this generation’s technological advances and put up your own website. Let’s discuss further how law firm web development can help grow your practice.
Reasons Why You Should Build a Website
Like any other kind of business, law firms need clients and the right connections to grow their practice. There are many benefits of having your own website especially if you are running a legal office. So, if you’re still having second thoughts about legal website development, take a look at some of these reasons why your law firm should have a website.
Allows You to Educate the Public
While the target is to attract potential customers, still, you have to apply creativity with lawyer marketing websites. You can use your website as a platform to share information with people, create infographics, blogs, or video content to help others understand certain legal issues. This is beneficial for your audience and prospects, at the same time, inadvertently builds your brand and markets your services.
Acts as a Dynamic Marketing Asset
Just like other types of businesses, the legal services industry needs effective marketing strategies as well. Thanks to the Internet, attorneys and law firms can reach a broader range of audiences which can be converted into clients. Aside from the recommendation of family and friends, 37% of people do an online search whenever they need to look for a lawyer. Therefore, if you don’t have a website, you miss the chance of having an increased brand awareness and even lose potential clients.
Helps You Be Ahead of the Competition
The latest number of law firms operating in the U.S.A. is 437,540. This data about your competition may overwhelm you, but do you know that having a fully functional and informational website can easily make you shine among the rest? One of the very foundations of a good business is establishing strong client relationships. Yes, you won’t be able to answer client inquiries all day. However, features such as 24/7 customer support or active online support can be incorporated in the law firm web development to ensure you gain more clients and retain the old ones.
Components of a Good Law Firm Website
The points above show that a website plays a vital role in the growth of your practice. But it doesn’t just stop with having a website alone. The website should be effective, informative, and easy to read. Here are a few tips to help you achieve a modern website design for law firms:
Keep a Simple Yet Outstanding Design
First impressions last, even on websites. How will people remember your law firm if your website uses a general template? When thinking of a web design, consider the message you want to deliver to your audience and prospects. Also, don’t overload your website’s homepage with plenty of words and images. Note that online visitors only read 28% of the content when browsing a website. So, keep your message short yet engaging.
When thinking of website design for lawyers, you shouldn’t miss having a professional logo. A remarkable logo can send a powerful message to people. You may also want to add animations, illustrations, and other modern design trends. Lastly, perform A/B testing to know which colors, buttons, or pieces of content work best.
Showcase What You Offer
Your law firm website should clearly state what kind of legal cases you handle. Add your services to the homepage for people to see immediately. Moreover, don’t forget to add an attorney profile page. This will give people an idea about you, how you work, and the kind of results you can deliver. Don’t be hesitant in including your education, awards, experiences, and other achievements.
Another web design tip is to add testimonials as a design element instead of simply inserting them in a dedicated testimonials page. You can incorporate them into videos, images, or other types of UI design options. Remember that 92% of consumers read online reviews before deciding on a purchase. So, put special attention to testimonials to further attract clients in making you their choice law firm.
Pay Attention to Speed
Ideally, websites should load all of their content in less than three seconds. If it exceeds more than that, there’s a high chance that online users will just leave the website and look for another source. In fact, there’s already a 32% bounce rate should the website take three seconds to load.
To avoid slow load times, make sure that your website has hardware infrastructure and bandwidth that can support your web design. You can also select good hosts to improve your site load times. At the end of the day, there should be no issues with loading if you stick with a simple design.
Aim for a Better User Experience
Both search engines and humans prefer websites that are properly organized. Remember that people visit websites to find certain information. In your law firm web development plans, make sure that all information about your practice is orderly and organized.
For details you want to emphasize, use bold and easy-to-read fonts. You can also use bullets to present key data. Consider using text colors for the most vital details you want to present, but make sure that you only apply this at a minimum.
Produce Quality Content
One of the primary functions of search engines is to index quality sites so they can provide information that is most relevant to online users. Therefore, the more quality content you produce, the more attractive your website appears to search engines. This can lead to your website ending up high in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and generating a good amount of web traffic. Of course, quality content is also essential for readers. Poor content will surely drive people away from your website.
In creating website content, make sure that it is fresh. Stay up-to-date with the latest in the legal industry. You can also draw inspiration from the websites of the firms you admire and your competitors.
Conclusion
A legal firm will only grow if they have a constant stream of clients. This is where the role of websites kicks in. A well-designed website will not only make your practice become known to many but can also convert your audience to become clients.
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